The Gamble

“Brody says Mindy says you looked after him.”

So it was Mindy-slash-Brody.

“Yes,” I answered.

“So, I think…” she paused then said on a rush, “you’d get me.”

“I’m sorry?”

She was quiet a moment then said softly, “No one gets me, Nina.”

I walked backwards to the bed, feeling my way with my feet and when I hit it, I plopped down.

“Bitsy, I don’t know,” I said honestly.

“I know what happened to Charlie, Nina,” Bitsy said gently. “So, I know you’d get me.”

I felt tears hit my eyes at what she was saying and I whispered, “Bitsy.”

“I had my moments, Nina, it’s terrible to admit but I understand Charlie.”

I swallowed and whispered, “Okay.”

“I’m sorry for you and for him.”

“Thanks.” I was still whispering.

“But my husband was fooling around on me,” she whispered back. “And I don’t blame him because, you know, the way I am. But I have to talk to someone about it. Someone who gets me.”

I heard the tears in her voice when she stopped talking so I said, “Oh, sweetheart.”

“And you also get what it’s like to have Shauna involved, seeing as she was after my man and she’s after yours too.”

“I’m not sure Max is my man.”

“Oh he is. Never seen him like that with anyone except Anna.”

I sucked in a silent breath and my body locked.

She kept speaking. “The whole town’s talkin’ about it. We’re all real glad. Thought Max’d never find anyone after Anna died. It’s been ten years, that’s a long time. Lord knows, I know that.”

I couldn’t think of her open talk about Anna, I had bigger things coming at me from her words.

It seemed now I was up against my own idiocy, my mother, Steve and the whole town of Gnaw Bone. My only ally was my father and right then Max and Steve were running him out of town.

I wasn’t in trouble, I was screwed.

“Bitsy –”

“Brody told me all you’ve done with Mindy and, I gotta say, I’m glad you’re nice. Anna was my best friend and I loved her. She’d want Max to end up with someone nice.”

Yes. Screwed.

“I don’t know what to say. Um… thank you.”

“Thank me for you bein’ nice?” she had a smile in her voice.

“Yes, I guess, and thank you for trusting me to talk to.”

She was quiet for long moments then she asked, “Do you think I’m crazy not to be mad at Curt?”

“I can’t say you’re crazy for anything you feel right now.”

“These past ten years, even though… you know.” She stopped and I didn’t know but I didn’t get the chance to ask before she went on, “I wasn’t much of a wife.”

I thought this was hideous if Curtis Dodd made Bitsy feel that way but I didn’t tell her that.

“Things are hard, when this happens, on everyone,” I told her.

“He loved me, people don’t get that. We had a good marriage, considering. We were… uh… you know….” she hesitated and then said, “active that way it’s just that it wasn’t the same as, you know… Shauna could do.” Then when I didn’t speak, she repeated, “You know?”

“Of course,” I said, thinking I kind of knew but mostly I didn’t and I said a little prayer of thanks for that.

“And he’s a man,” she went on defending her husband.

“Well, that explains a lot,” I told her and she gave a short laugh.

“Yeah.”

“Bitsy, darling,” I said, “you should feel free to feel how you want and don’t think of what people think.”

“No one liked him anyway, he died and his mistress phoned the police. It’s hard not to think of what people think since everyone’s thinkin’ somethin’.”

“Well, try. Anyone who truly cares about you will let you have your feelings, whatever they may be.”

She was silent a moment, letting this sink in then she said, “Yeah.”

“Do you want me to come and visit with you? My Mom’s here and she loves coffee. She’d really like one of your lattes. She’s also a really good listener.”

“Your Mom’s here?”

“Well my Dad came and he was being, well, my Dad, which means he was being a jerk to me and to Max. I told my Mom and Mom, being a Mom and in particular, my Mom, who’s a little nutty, decided to bring her husband and have him help Max take care of Dad. So she’s here, my stepdad Steve’s here and Max and Steve are in town probably threatening Dad and maybe earning themselves a lawsuit.”

“Good thing you’re a lawyer,” she said, again sounding like she was smiling.

Well, there it was again, news travelled fast.

“Hey, speaking of that, would you help me draw up my will?” she asked. “George is covered in work but he’s reading Curtis’s tomorrow and he said I should have one drawn up straight away after Curt’s is read. He wants to do it for me but says it may take awhile because he has some big case pending so he referred me to a guy next town over but I know him and he’s a weasel. I’d rather you help me do it.”

“Bitsy –”

“I’ll pay you.”

“It isn’t that.”

“What is it?”

“Um…” I tried to think of what it was then when I couldn’t I said, “nothing. Sure, I’ll be glad to help.”

“It’ll be easy. Just wanna make sure Shauna never gets her hands on any of it.”

“Bitsy –”

Bitsy’s voice got low and I realized Brody really shared when she said, “The kid’s Curt’s, I’ll put some money aside for him to get when he comes of age. ‘Til then she can blow.”

And there it was. Bitsy was a good woman, through and through. She was also a woman scorned.

“Okay, darling, we’ll tie it up tight,” I assured her.

“I want a DNA test, though.”

“Okay.”

“Maybe three, who knows who she’d f**k to get the test results back that she wants. We may need to go out of state.”

It was my turn to talk through a smile. “Might be a good idea.”

“Maybe you know someone in England, she’s never been to England, would better our chances, seein’ she’s been outta state.”